By Chioma Obinna

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, on Monday announced the commencement of‘Campaign 6232’ designed to raise public awareness for the toll-free number ‘6232’ and public enquiries through its 24-7 Connect Centre.

According to the Director-General of the Centre, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the campaign will use different means of communication to raise awareness on how to reach NCDC, with questions relating to infectious disease prevention, detection and control. Following an increasing need for Nigerians to communicate with the agency as part of the COVID-19 response, NCDC expanded its connect centre capacity in 2020.

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With support from the National Communication Commission, a shortcode 6232 has also been introduced. Over the last one year, NCDC has been leading Nigeria’s public health response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic under the leadership of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the Agency is working closely with the Federal Ministry of Health, relevant government institutions, national and international partners to improve its ability to respond to Nigerians in a timely and comfortable way.

On the campaign, Ihekweazu reassured Nigerians of NCDC’s commitment to delivering on the institution’s mandate.  “We are constantly developing and implementing innovative measures to make NCDC accessible to every Nigerian regardless of socio-economic status. We urge members of the public to use the ‘6232’ toll-free number responsibly. Please support this campaign by sharing this information with your friends, family and colleagues”

As of 14th February 2021, over 100 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded globally, with almost 150,000 confirmed cases and 1,753 deaths reported in Nigeria. In response to the consistently high number of COVID-19 cases reported across the country, NCDC continues to intensify its communication efforts to keep Nigerians informed on measures to reduce their risk of infection and limit transmission.

Vanguard News Nigeria